Kentucky Tractor Trailer Crash and Questions of Faith and Law

When you read the CNN coverage on the head on crash between a tractor trailer and a Mennonite Church van in Kentucky that took 11 lives, the divergence between the effect of God’s law and man’s law is illustrated. Friday morning a tractor trailer driver crossed the center line in Kentucky and took the lives of 11 people headed to a Mennonite wedding.

Although our thoughts and prayers are with these unfortunate souls, I cannot abide the perspective of the church member mentioned in the article because to follow that path is to encourage this to happen again to other people.

The Church member in question is quoted as saying, “We will accept it as the will of God,” … “This isn’t an accident, God knew this from the beginning and that will be one of the beginning things that the community will do, accept it as the will of God.”

Faith is a wonderful thing but to turn a blind eye to human evil is to encourage its growth. Put simply, 99% of the time, a truck driver crossing the center line in broad daylight is the result of him falling asleep due to a FMCSR violation. The regulations are as lax as the Congress will allow and yet it is well known that driver’s exceed them as regularly as we all work overtime to make more money. This horrendous crash was not the result of an “accident.” It is likely the result of a driver and possibly his company breaking the rules to make a profit.

These rules exist to protect all of our families and when the victims do not wish to punish evildoers, the wrongdoers are tacitly encouraged to continue breaking the rules. Edmund Burke wrote “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing” and his words ring true on many levels. When we as a society turn our backs on human failings and ascribe them to the “will of God”, rather than bring the truth to light and improve our society, we become accomplices.

I can only hope the NTSB will hang the company because it sounds like it is highly unlikely that the family will seek to punish the company civilly. The very belief that allows some to make peace with the universe can enable the corrupt to escape civil suits for violating Federal Motor Carrier Safety regulations.